The importance of skin structure in skin test models

To check how human skin responds to a certain treatment, chemical or cosmetic compound, it is common procedure to test the product on a model that is considered equivalent to in vivo human skin. Currently, porcine skin, rat skin, reconstructed human skin and computer models are often used to this effect, even though they don’t necessarily take into account all elements related to human skin structure and function.

The closest alternative to in vivo human skin

NativeSkin testing kits contain round skin biopsies of human origin, which are prepared from surgical skin residue donated by adult donors with their informed consent and collected in full respect of all applicable regulations.

The skin used has not been grown artificially: its structure and composition is therefore fully equivalent to that of in vivo human skin. Skin barrier function, the stratum corneum, the cells and glands present in natural in vivo human skin are preserved. This allows you to adequately test the response of real human skin to your products. Genoskin’s human skin models are a reliable last-line screen prior to in vivo clinical trials.

Human skin structure & test models

The closer a test model comes to in vivo human skin, the more reliable your tests results will be. The ideal test model respects human skin structure in terms of:

Organisation

Skin barrier function

Skin cells

Skin appendages

Metabolism

As our high-tech matrix and medium keep the biopsy alive for several days after excision, Genoskin’s human skin models even allow you to test live skin response to your products.

Genoskin develops and markets innovative testing tools to study the effects of pharmaceutical, cosmetic and chemical products on human skin. Our skin models are an alternative to animal testing and contain donated human skin that is kept alive for up to 7 days for repeated application and predictive results.